1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to solar energy collection systems, and in particular relates to such systems which are useful in converting heat into other energy forms.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Solar energy collectors as taught in the prior art fall into two general categories. First, so called flat plate collectors generally comprise a relatively planar heat absorbing medium, through which a heat transfer fluid is passed to absorb the incident heat radiation. Examples of flat plate collectors are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,907,318 to Awot; 3,780,262 to Rudd; 3,961,619 to Estes, et al; 2,202,756 to Cline; 1,801,710 to Abbot; and 4,007,728 to Guba. These patents are merely representative of a large number of flat plate collector designs which have many uses, primarily for the heating of water for domestic hot water storage facilities.
Other flat plate collectors of interest are useful for heating water in swimming pools and other containers, as is disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,893,443 to Smith; 3,949,095 to Pelehack; 3,945,059 to Allocco; and 3,279,527 to Hardy.
Customarily, flat plate collectors of the type described above are maintained in a relatively stationary position and rely on the planar nature of the collector to heat the transfer fluid throughout the solar day.
A second category of solar collectors are those which are generally characterized as concentrators. These arrangements generally take the form of parabolic dishes or troughs, in which the heat transfer fluid is pumped through a conduit passing through a focal point of the concentrator. Such arrangements must be pointed in the direction of the sun in order to achieve efficient utilization. Examples of such arrangements are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,847,136 to Salvail; 3,321,012 to Hervey; 3,923,039 to Falbel; 1,424,932 to Moreau; and 1,575,309 to Anderson. These patents are likewise merely representative of prior art solar energy concentrators.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,604, Anderson discloses the use of a solar concentrator employing reflectors bouyantly supported upon a fluid for the purpose of producing a Fresnel approximation of a large area reflector.